The website

"Hey, hey, Kouichi. Have you heard about the website 'Guropeji'?"

"Huh? What's that?"

The one asking the question was Kyougo Aramaki, my best friend since elementary school. He was always cheerful and energetic, and today was even more so than usual. The school bell just rang five minutes ago and I was still seated in the classroom, packing up my stuff, when he approached and plopped down on the seat in front of me.

"Well, I don't know the exact details since I haven't checked it out myself but apparently, there's a website where you can watch people getting tortured and killed."

"You know I don't watch that kind of movie," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"No, no, it's not a movie. It's a real thing!"

"What is this, some new game? Like a horror game or something?"

I tried to play along with him but it seemed he wasn't going to let it go.

"Like I tell you before, it's not a game or a movie! It's a website. You can watch people or animals being tortured and killed."

"Seriously?! Are you sure about this?!"

It was true that I hadn't seen any movies that involved torture and murder, nor did I really care about those things.

"Hey, hey. Lower your voice," he said as he looked at our surroundings. Several students were already staring at our direction. "It's totally real. Or at least, that's what I've heard."

"But what's with that name 'Guropeji'? Sounds kinda weird..."

"Yeah, it does sound weird, doesn't it? But I think it's supposed to be short for 'Gore Page' or something."

"Ohh, gotcha."

That sounded plausible enough. A gore page was basically a site where you could view gory videos which include tortures, and I thought that was pretty much how this site worked too.

"So how do you get to this site anyway?"

"Well, it's not easy to explain, but I'll try to explain it to you. Unlike normal website, 'Guropeji' uses a special type of URL address. A one-time link, to be precise."

"A one-time link? What's that?"

"Basically, a one-time link is a link that works only once. When you click on the link, it takes you to a page where you can watch the video. It is likely a safeguard measure taken by the site owner to prevent anyone from sharing the link to the outside world."

"Ohh, makes sense now."

This made sense to me. The site probably wanted to avoid the authorities or police from shutting them down. That was why they needed to keep the number of users low, and one way to achieve that was to make it hard for people to find their site.

"And then...how do you access this one-time link?"

"Hmm, well, you can't really. To start off, the link is very difficult to find. The only way to get the link is through word of mouth."

"Word of mouth?"

"Yes, word of mouth. Basically, you have to know someone who knows someone else who has the link."

"Wow, so it's like an underground network."

I had heard of such networks before. There are several types of underground networks, ranging from the black market to terrorist organizations. These networks usually rely on trust among members, and information exchanged within the network is kept confidential.

"Exactly. So you see, I heard that this site has been around for quite some time now. However, I never knew about it until recently."

At this, Kyougo paused for a moment and looked at me with a grin.

"I can see you are interested in this site, Kouichi. If not, you won't be asking questions like these."

"I'm just curious. That's all. In the end we can't access the site anyway, right? As you need the link and all that."

Kyougo chuckled at this and said, "You're wrong, Kouichi."

"What do you mean?"

"It means you should never underestimate the great Kyougo Aramaki."

He reached out into his pocket and took out his smartphone. After checking it for a while, he turned it around to show me the screen. There was a long string of characters on it.

"Voila! The one-time link!"

"Wait! How did you get it?"

"From my cousin. He was also the one telling me about this web page. Apparently he watched the video from start to finish before it coughed out a new link address, which he then gave to me."

"So, Kouichi, what do you say? Want to check it out?"

I could see Kyougo's eyes gleaming with excitement. And I couldn't help but feel excited too, though I didn't know why. I didn't usually watch TV shows or movies that involved torture and murder. In fact, I had never seen any movies involving excessive violence. However, the mere fact that this web page existed was enough to rouse my curiosity.

"Sure, let's give it a shot."

"Are you sure?"

"There is the possibility that the whole thing is a fake anyway, so there's no point in getting nervous."

Kyougo nodded and said, "All righty then, here goes nothing!"

He opened the web browser and typed in the address of the website. After a few seconds, the screen turned to black. Then, after a few more seconds, a white text appeared on the screen.

***

"Guropeji.com"

The first thing that popped up was the logo of the website itself. It was a picture of what looked like a severed head with blood dripping from its neck. The background of the image was a deep red color.

After a brief pause, the following text appeared:

***

Welcome to Guropeji. Please read the terms of service carefully before proceeding.

Please note that the content on this website is not suitable for children under the age of 18 years old. If you are below the age of 18, please leave the website immediately. Thank you.

If you wish to continue, please click the button below.

Terms of Service:

1. This site contains material that may be considered offensive by some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.

2. The contents of this site are intended solely for entertainment purposes and should not be construed as a threat or a violation of any laws.

3. By accessing this site, you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

4. If you are unable to agree to the above terms, please close this window and exit the site.

5. Clicking the button below will take you to the main page of the website.

6. This link is valid for one time use only. Once clicked, the link will expire and no further links will be generated.

7. If you are under the age of 18, please leave the website immediately. Thank you.

8. By clicking the button below, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the terms of service and privacy policy and agree to abide by them.

After reading through the terms of service, Kyougo pressed the button below and once again the screen went black. Then, the video started playing.

***

The video was recorded from an overhead camera, and it showed a man tied up on a wooden table. His arms and legs were bound, and his mouth was covered with duct tape. He was gagged so that he couldn't scream. However, his eyes remained wide open, reflecting fear and despair.

The room was dark and the grainy video quality lent a sense of dread to the scene. It was hard to make out the details, but the man was definitely young. He appeared to be in his early twenties, with brown hair and tanned skin. The man had a black shirt on with a pair of blue jeans.

"Who is this?" I asked Kyougo.

"I don't know. I haven't actually watched the whole thing yet."

For a while, there was no sound except the faint sounds of the man's breathing. Then, after a few minutes, a large man stepped into the frame. He wore a black hood, and his face was hidden behind the shadow of the hood. He held a thin blade in his right hand, and then moved towards the man lying on the table.

The man groaned and tried to struggle, but he was unable to move his body. He stared at the unknown man with terror in his eyes. Then the masked man walked closer and held the knife near the man's neck. With a single cut, he sliced open the duct tape covering the man's mouth.

The man screamed and shouted in terror, struggling wildly against his bonds. However, it didn't seem to have any effect. The man was still bound tightly to the table, with nowhere to run.

Then the man's struggles suddenly stopped as if his energy had completely depleted. The man's eyes became vacant, and his lips quivered as if he was trying to speak. But he couldn't utter a single word.

The man with the mask then lifted the knife and used it to cut open the man's shirt. It revealed a pale white chest, and the man's bare skin glistened with sweat. A long scar ran across his abdomen, starting from his shoulder and ending at the belly button.